A majority of the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house, recently agreed to raise the tax on fuel and introduce a tax on flights. The plan was accepted by 37 of the 41 members who voted, according to 20 Minutes. To honour its commitment to the Paris climate agreement, Switzerland needs to cut greenhouse gas […]
The Swiss drone that could generate more electricity than a wind turbine
TwingTec, a company spun out of Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, is developing an alternative to wind turbines for harnessing the power of the wind. Wind speeds increase as you move further from the ground. Wind blows up to eight times faster at a height of 500 metres than it […]
Thousands protest against 5G mobile rollout in Swiss capital
Rollout of the next generation of mobile technology, known as 5G, has met with resistance in Switzerland. Last week, a demonstration in Bern, organized by Frequencia against the rollout, attracted thousands, according to RTS. Frequencia claims more than 3,000 people attended the protest. Switzerland is one of the first countries to rollout the new technology, […]
Switzerland’s largest glacier could shrink by half by century end
Recent 3D modelling estimates how climate change will affect the Aletsch Glacier. In the worst case scenario modeled by researchers at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich, only a few small patches of ice would remain. Aletsch, the largest glacier in Switzerland and the Alps, currently stretches over 23 km from its 4,000m high starting […]
50 cm of snow falls in parts of Switzerland
Last night snow fell in parts of Switzerland, according to Meteonews. Noch ein Schneebild aus Tiefenbach im Kanton Uri, aufgenommen heute Morgen auf einer Höhe von 2100 Metern über Meer. Hier liegen rund 30 cm #Neuschnee. #wintereinbruch #schnee @Blickch @20min @nau_live @watson_news @LuzernerZeitung @infokantonuri (rv) pic.twitter.com/JrqU3OB9Oj — MeteoNews (@MeteoNewsAG) September 6, 2019 Most snow fell […]
Swiss temperatures set to drop sharply
Summer in Switzerland appears to be running out of steam. Between Wednesday and Thursday, temperatures are set to drop sharply across much of Switzerland, according to Swiss Meteo. In Geneva, the daily high will fall from 26 to 19, in Zurich from 25 to 16 and in Basel from 27 to 18. #MétéoSuisse #meteo L’automne […]
Switzerland heading for third hottest summer on record
According to Swiss Meteo, this summer will probably be Switzerland’s third hottest on record. This year’s average summer temperature will be between 15 and 16 degrees, around 2 degrees higher than the norm between 1981 and 2010, according to the forecaster. The marked rise in summer temperatures is a sign of climate change, according to […]
Is Greta Thunberg’s sea voyage to New York really less polluting than flying?
To avoid the high carbon footprint of flying, Greta Thunberg, the young Swedish climate activist is instead sailing from Europe to New York to attend a global United Nations summit. However, there is a snag. According to the German newspaper Die Tageszeitung, the coming and going of her fellow crew members from New York by […]
Excessive nitrate levels found in Swiss ground water
A recent study found excessive levels of nitrates in 15% to 20% of underground water samples in Switzerland, according to the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). Underground water is the source of most of Switzerland’s (80%) drinking water. The data was collected at 600 water testing sites between 2007 and 2017. In 2014, 15% […]
Survey of Swiss politicians shows growing support for extending carbon tax
An analysis of data from Smartvote done by Swiss broadcaster RTS shows how the views politicians hold on a carbon tax on fuel have shifted between 2015 and 2019. When asked whether carbon tax should be extended cover diesel and gasoline 52% of the 73 parliamentarians questioned in 2015 were against the idea. When questioned recently, […]
